MRA wins Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s
inaugural Heritage Champions Award
MRA was thrilled when Co-chairs Debbie and Norma were awarded the first-ever Devonport-Takapuna Local Board Heritage Champions Award on Sunday, 29 November. The Awards were established by the Board this year and called for nominations for three categories. Graham Saunderson saw the Awards notice and decided to nominate Debbie, Norma and MRA for the way we have tried to highlight Milford’s fascinating history through our heritage days and planning work connected with the Milford Centre Plan. Graham’s family count five generations who have lived in Milford and he has strong memories of The Pirate Shippe days and Milford being a holiday resort. We are especially grateful to Graham for taking the time to write the nomination. He must have told a good story; the judging panel said they thoroughly enjoyed reading it and were unanimous in awarding the Heritage Champion Award to Milford.
Well-deserved winners of the Heritage Education Award were John Crews and Chris Owen of the Kennedy Park WWII Installations Preservation Trust in Castor Bay. They have done amazing work over many years and this year introduced informative panels telling the story of the installations. (That’s something Milford would like to do in the future also!)
Not knowing quite what to expect, the Board admitted they thought most nominations would come from the Devonport area. They were delighted to receive nominations from Milford and Castor Bay. It is great to receive acknowledgement for our efforts to raise the profile of Milford’s fascinating history.
The whole MRA committee is made up of Heritage Champions. Every committee member and their partners are vital contributors to making the heritage day such a success.
